Who remembers the Housemartins? They were a fun British alt-pop band from Hull, England. They only put out a few albums, and their lyrics blended Christianity and Marxism, but it was fun stuff. After breaking up, one of their members formed Beautiful South and another created Fatboy Slim.
The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death was the album that introduced me to the Housemartins, and I’ve always liked the dark humour of the opening track.
They smiled so much and waved their flags
As she saluted to the military band
Most of the people failed to see
She had a broken bottle in the other hand
And she took them by surprise
When she took them by the throat
And said “My friend you’re not allowed to vote”
But they shook it all off
With a nervous laugh and cough
“Next time,” she said “I’ll let those people choke”The people who grinned themselves to death
Smiled so much they failed to take a breath
And even when their kids were starving
They all thought the queen was charming
Here are the full lyrics, the song, and a live performance.
As she saluted to the military band
Most of the people failed to see
She had a broken bottle in the other hand
And she took them by surprise
When she took them by the throat
And said “My friend you’re not allowed to vote”
But they shook it all off
With a nervous laugh and cough
“Next time,” she said “I’ll let those people choke”
The people who grinned themselves to death
Smiled so much they failed to take a breath
And even when their kids were starving
They all thought the queen was charming